1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM), and more particularly to routing, wavelength assignment, and spectrum allocation in wavelength convertible flexible optical WDM networks.
2. Description of the Related Art
In International Telecommunication Union, Telecommunication Sector (ITU-T) standardized fixed grid networks, a fixed amount of spectrum (50 GHz) is allocated to every channel irrespective of the operating line rate, and the center frequency of a channel remains fixed. FIG. 1 shows the fixed channel spacing 100 of a fixed grid wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) network. Such a fixed channel grid may not be sufficient to support immerging super-channels which operates at 400 Gb/s or 1 Tb/s line rates. For example, 50 GHz of spectrum is not sufficient for 400 Gb/s and 1 Tb/s channels which require 75 GHz and 150 GHz of spectrum, respectively. On the other hand, supporting such super-channels by increasing the channel spacing in fixed grid networks may not optimize the spectrum allocation for channels operating at lower line rates. For example, a 10 Gb/s channel only requires 25 GHz of spectrum. Thus, no single fixed channel grid is optimal for all line rates.
There has been growing research on optical WDM systems that is not limited to a fixed ITU-T channel grid, but offers a flexible channel grid to increase spectral efficiency. We refer to such grid-less WDM networks as flexible optical WDM networks (FWDM). In FWDM networks, a flexible amount of spectrum is allocated to each channel, and the channel center frequency may not be fixed. FIG. 2 shows the flexible channel spacing 200 of a flexible optical wavelength-division multiplexing network (FWDM). Thus, while establishing a channel in FWDM networks, a control plane must follow (1) the requirement of having the same operating wavelength on all fibers along the route of a channel which is referred to as the wavelength continuity constraint, (2) the requirement of allocating the same amount of spectrum on all fibers along the route of a channel which is referred to as the spectral continuity constraint, and (3) the requirement of allocating non-overlapping spectrum with the neighboring channels in the fiber which is referred to as the spectral conflict constraint. The problem of finding a channel satisfying these constraints is referred to as the routing, wavelength assignment, and spectrum allocation (RWSA) problem.
Due to wavelength continuity, spectral continuity, and spectral conflict constraints, a channel may not be established even though there is sufficient amount of spectrum available on all fibers along the route. Wavelength and spectral conflicts between different fibers can be resolved by employing wavelength converters at nodes which can convert the wavelength on the incoming fiber to an available wavelength on the outgoing fiber at which sufficient spectrum is available. Thus, wavelength converters can improve the channel blocking probability. FWDM networks with wavelength converters are referred to as wavelength convertible FWDM networks.
One of the open problems in wavelength convertible FWDM networks is as follows: for a given configuration of the optical network in terms of the location of optical nodes and deployed fibers connecting optical nodes, the number of wavelength converters at each optical node, the wavelength conversion range of each wavelength converter, the set of line rates offered by the network and the respective spectrum requirement, the problem is how to find a channel operating at the requested line rate in the wavelength convertible FWDM network such that the blocking probability of a channel is minimized. Finding a channel in FWDM networks involves sub-problems such as how to route the channel, how to assign a wavelength to the channel, and how to allocate the required spectrum to the channel. Together the problem is referred to as the routing, wavelength assignment, and spectrum allocation in wavelength convertible FWDM networks (RWSA-WC).
If we restrict the spectrum allocation to every channel to be fixed, then the problem is transformed into the routing and wavelength assignment (RWA-WC) problem in wavelength convertible fixed grid networks. However, existing methods directed to the RWA-WC problem are not applicable to the RWSA-WC problem due to the additional spectral continuity and spectral conflict constraints.
Existing solutions of the RWSA problem are applicable to the RWSA-WC problem. However, existing RWSA solutions suffer from higher blocking probability because these solutions are not able to take advantage of wavelength converters. Accordingly, there is no existing solution addressing the RWSA-WC problem in FWDM networks.